The stretch of coast known as the Pacific Northwest (PNW) is one of the largest and most diverse sailing grounds in the world. It has everything from major city areas to barely inhabited wilderness and diverse cultures. Since it borders the Gulf of Alaska, it can also have some wild weather in the winter and can be cool and wet in the summer. Preparation is needed! The best guidebook is the Waggoner. You will also need the Canadian Hydro-graphic Charts and, just as important, the full tide tables. Unlike most areas the tide table comes in several volumes but they are available free here.
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You may want to mention that the Straits of Georgia can be very spicy with a long fetch and nasty shortish (4 ft) waves if/when the wind pipes up. Making way to windward for many boats is quite difficult. Stating that getting to Campbell River is easy is misleading at best.
Yes I agree with your point that the Straight of Georgia can get pretty choppy in a strong Northerly as can anywhere else in the Salish Sea but I could not cover everything without without making the article unreadable. I am assuming anyone planning a trip in this area would also look at the charts and sailing directions so have tried to highlight the points that may be less obvious in passage planning.
Maybe I should have included a bit more detail on the entrance to Cambel River. There is plenty of room and no hazards near the entrance but there is a strong tide running past so it may be an idea to time exit and entry at slack water if possible. I have entered it with the tide running full in a low-power sailboat without any problem but you do need to time the turn. Once close to the entrance you are sheltered so there is no tide run actually in the entrance. Strong tides are a feature of most of the west coast.
A recommendation I received before my very first trip to British Columbia was to listen to the weather…I will second that recommendation. However, get to know the names of locations you will be traversing and listen to the Canadian weather forecasts on their designated time schedule. But you won’t be familiar with the location names and need to know where they are to be of value to you…a weather map from The Waggoner helps a lot.
Also, while cell coverage is not readily available pay attention when passing native villages as most First Nations centers have very good cell coverage while your transiting and in range…be prepared. On my last trip to Alaska I was often able to get weather reports via cell which beats listening to the long VHF transmissions.
A must for all first-timers is to buy a copy of The Waggoner…it will be your bible for the adventure and answer most of your questions when planning.
It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway, a GPS and charts are mandatory to get you into the anchorages you plan because it is easy to mistake a turn.
All practical comments above. In addition, throughout the whole region, a good lookout for logging debris and deadheads. Our mantra is “see one log there’s usually 3-4 more to come”. We’ve sailed these waters for over 25 years…and our solid Island Packet has rode up and over a semisubmerged log with little issue because of our hull shape. A fin keel would have a different result. Sailing out here is challenging but a beautiful, satisfying experience when well prepared. The Waggoners guide is very helpful, we also used The Dreamspeaker guides .
Roland,
Your posting and pictures brought back all sorts of happy, recent memories. My wife and I just spent four months in SE Alaska on our 2003 Catalina 400, Mk2 Encore, #264, departing late last April from our home port of Bainbridge Island. I second Bickford, Hirko, and Wright’s replies and add one more, to us, very important addition to the indispensable Waggoner Guide/Bible. Douglass and Douglass wrote separate cruising guides for BC and SE Alaska. These references are more extensive than Waggoner in their coverage of gunk holes especially harder to reach ones and particularly off-shore.
The breadth and depth of preparation for a trip like this was unique and necessary. Consider finding and joining a class rendezvous as we did. The knowledge and experience of many of our fellow sailors is exceptional.